First of all, in order to be called “Hawaiian Coffee,” coffee must be grown on one of the Islands of Hawaii. The three main Coffee growing regions are located on the islands of Hawaii, Maui and Kauai.
Type of Kona coffee beans:
- Peaberry: This are a “pea” shaped beans that are very small in size, as a result of only one coffee bean developing within a coffee cherry but result in twice the flavor to create a very robust coffee. Only about 3% to 5% of the whole crop are Peaberry.
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Extra Fancy: These coffee beans are the largest size of the Kona coffee beans, with a fuller flavor. Its size will not pass through a 19/64″ round hole of the bean grading screen.
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Fancy: These are the second largest beans. Its size will not pass the 18/64” of the bean grading screen hole.
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Prime: The smallest of the beans that qualifies for being labeled as “Kona” coffee
As stablished by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA), there are two additional grades that cannot be labeled as Kona Coffee, due to factors like size and number of defects: The “Hawaii No. 3” or "X-3" and "OFF- Grade".
